Back to the Street

It's been a while since I last posted on street photography. Not that I haven't been out there shooting, I always have a camera on me. It may be a bit pesky to carry around a big digital SLR camera with you all the time but this is no excuse for not having a camera with you. Most of us have a phone that has a good quality camera but there are also really good small compact cameras these days. I just picked up a Fujifilm X20 and have been really impressed with the results. I've noticed many photographers are experimenting with these types of cameras and reporting back with amazing results. Trey Ratcliff, the HDR guru has been traveling around the world shooting bracketed shots with one of the new mirrorless systems from Sony (NEX-7) and it's nearly impossible to tell the difference from the NEX-7 and his typical Nikon D800 shots. To see for yourself, check out his Sony NEX-7 review.

The technology has evolved and there are an endless amount of options available to us these days. It's great to have all these options available but it still does not replace the "photographers eye". It's YOU the person behind the lens that is making the call on releasing the shutter and capturing a photograph. I would say this is one of the most important aspects of street photography because you really need your eyes wide open to all and any possible scenes, angles, contrasts, colours, abnormalities and so on. Many people walk right past a potential photograph so it really starts with your eyes and then of course having some sort of technology to capture that moment in time. 

The images below were all shot with different cameras, enjoy and happy shooting!

Marc

Shot with: Canon 7D DSL

Shot with: Fujifilm X20

All photos shot with an iPhone

Arizona: Colour or no Colour?

Whenever I travel and visit new places, of course with the camera in hand the main question is always "how will I take the photo differently than others?" In the case of hiking up a mountain in Arizona and taking photos of Cacti (yes plural for Cactus, had to look that one up), there are tons of photos like this so you have to challenge yourself to take a different perspective, something that first speaks to you but then for your viewers. 

In the examples below, I was first using colour to set the mood and with the first photo letting the viewer create their own thoughts about the shot based on the abstract nature. As the sun started to set, I wanted the hard contrast of the cacti against the open sky to really stand out. This is the reason for the hard hitting black and white processing. To answer the question in the title, I would say both had a different purpose and overall effect to the feel of the photographs. 

It was fun shooting mainly landscapes in Arizona but I am now working on some very abstract portrait work, so stay tuned for the next post.

Have fun out there!

Marc

 

The Intimate Portrait

I just finished a fantastic workshop through Linda Rutenberg title the “Intimate Portrait” focusing on pulling out emotion and the inner beauty of your subjects. Photographing people is often a very challenging task, they could require a lot of direction, they could be very uncomfortable in front of the camera or you could get a natural and everything flows very well.  All to say you need to be prepared and have a strategy in mind.

Like any photo shoot, plan out a shot list, visit the location and in the case of portraits take the time to really get to know them personally. Often we do not have much time to get to know our subjects but even one good conversation with specific questions can go a long way. For me personally, I never provide prices to any client until I’ve met or spoken to them at least once to see what they are interested in and to get a sense of their personality / style. Therefore, it’s even more important when it comes to photographing them.

One of the biggest satisfactions I had from this workshop was learning how to integrate the personality of the subjects with the environment or location to provide more context. Also on that point, my favorite shots came while I was directing the person into a particular pose or while someone else was directing them. Releasing the shutter in these moments allow you to capture more candid images and takes the pressure of the camera off the subject.  Get out there, ask a lot of questions, be natural and have fun with your subjects!

Marc